


A Collision of Habits.

by Reddwarfer



Series: Standing Alone With You [3]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, The Stand - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, John and Rodney in the Stand Universe, Kissing, M/M, Making the best of the apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25563463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reddwarfer/pseuds/Reddwarfer
Summary: Rodney and John arrive in Boulder and at certain conclusions...
Relationships: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Series: Standing Alone With You [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850971
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	A Collision of Habits.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Written: 10/11/2009  
> Follow up to Anywhere But Vegas and Just A Few Detours

Boulder, Colorado is like a bucket of cold water when Rodney finally arrives with John four days after the dreams inform a change of direction.

There's not many people there, not yet, but there _are_ other people. It seems strange to Rodney that the twenty-two years he's had with people is drowned out by those weeks without. It seems like forever with just John and the two opposing forces in his dreams.

It's surreal when he and John walk the steps to greet Mother Abigail at last. Her lips curl into a smile when she sees them and then they purse after a few moments of looking at them closer. Rodney gets the sense that she knows what they are to each other, but she doesn't say aloud.

They find themselves a house on the outskirts of town. There's a lake out back and the quiet of the woods all around them. They keep in touch with the news of the town with a CB radio, which he finds both a blessing and a curse. John ignores it as much as he can, often heading out back to fish. He doesn't catch much, but Rodney doesn't think that's the point, anyhow.

~*~

When Mother Abigail disappears, neither Rodney nor John registers much surprise. John mentions something about quests and pilgrimages and Buddha and other religious crap Rodney cannot care less about. He translates the long spiel to mean these nutty religious people go on long-ass trips without basic amenities to have some sort of food and water deprivation induced hallucinations.

John moves his knight on the chessboard and grins. "I'm sure she'll be found when she wants to be found."

"Or she'll be eaten by vultures when her corpse ripens enough," Rodney replies, scoping out his next move.

"After everything we've seen, you think she'll just drop dead?" John's voice is serious, much to Rodney's surprise.

Rodney tilts his head in consideration. "I guess not even if she is one hundred and eight years old. All we need now is for all the dead to come to life and start asking for brains and it'll be just like every bad horror movie ever made."

With that, John throws back his head and laughs. Rodney's attention completely slips from their game at that point. He gets up, grabs John's unresisting hand, and tugs him off toward the bedroom. John stops laughing after a moment, but he doesn't stop Rodney, and hurries them both toward their destination.

~*~

"They're having some town meeting tonight," Rodney comments, not looking up from the book he's reading. He doesn't want to go to it, but it'll seem strange if he doesn't.

John snorts. "It's hardly unexpected, Rodney. They'll be needing to have someone in charge. People feel better with structure."

"It's not as if any of those buffoons will ask either of us for our input, even if they do desperately need people with brains."

"Rodney," John says, a bit consolingly. "It's not as if we interact with anyone for them to really know us."

He can't put into words how awkward it still feels to be around them. He feels uncomfortable with crowds bigger than three and he doesn't have the patience to deal with anyone anymore. Not that he had tons of patience to start.

"I know," John says, and flops down next to him. People are coming into the town daily and they both feel more and more claustrophobic. "Let's get through this meeting and then we can take a week off just me and you."

"Really?" Rodney asks brightly. Nothing has sounded so good in a long time. It's not as if they'll get fired.

John kisses the side of his face, and then again fully on his lips before pressing their foreheads together. "Really."

At that, Rodney puts his book down and looks over at John. "This is true, but…"

"Don't worry about it now," John says, so he doesn't. It's easy to follow John's lead when reality is too much of a burden.

~*~

Rodney finds work on the committee to turn the lights back on and John volunteers for law enforcement. It kills Rodney to not be in charge or especially listened to, but he's younger than most, his engineering degree is only a degree, and he never got a chance to actually use it.

Law enforcement mainly consists of making sure the town drunk doesn't piss in the wrong place or break more windows, but neither Rodney or John are naïve enough to expect crime died with the rest of society.

On days off, John spends his time driving to the surrounding cities for supplies. John doesn't explain why, but stores all his finds in the second bedroom. Rodney takes to the library, scouring books and maps and other papers. They don't discuss it, but Rodney thinks it's because they both know that this place isn't really _home_ for them.

~*~

Rodney hardly has time to process the bomb and the return of Mother Abigail, who is on the verge of death, due to his work at the plant. John spends hours hunting for the barely pubescent freak and his nut job girlfriend before the whole search is called off for practical reasons. John doesn't think they'll ever come back and Rodney agrees.

The next town meeting is full of hostility, confusion and impatience. Rodney doesn't know what these people were expecting, but they've all only been there for anywhere ranging a month to days. Their leaders are a motley crew of people who were losers before the world went to hell.

And if this Flagg is the hellbeast they're all assuming he is, what chance have they got against him anyhow? All it'll take is one well-aimed missile and they'll be nothing more than a crater.

It's only a day later when the lights go on and days after that when Stu and the rest of the men from the committee go on their suicide mission west.

"You think they'll make it?" Rodney asks. They're in bed, naked and sweaty, lights off, with the comforting unquiet of the woods around them.

John doesn't answer right away. Instead, he scoots closer until their bodies are touching, his arm around Rodney's waist. "I think something's supposed to happen. Just like we all had these dreams. Just like we all came here."

It's not much of an answer, but it makes as much sense as anything. "Yeah," he replies and lets him self get lost in John all over again.

He kisses John's shoulder, closes his eyes, and thinks about spring.

~*~

Stu comes back, in the dead of winter, with a broken leg, Tom Cullen, and news of a bomb that lit the night sky.

Las Vegas, apparently, is no more along with Flagg, fascists, and some of the Free-Zone's favourite people. All Rodney feels is a sense of relief. Too many people have died already that he can't work himself up into a tizzy over more. John's just as detached from it all and it makes Rodney's plan seem all the more necessary.

"Yorktown," Rodney says as he places a dish of canned pasta in front of John. "Virginia."

John looks up as he spears some ravioli with his fork and echoes, "Yorktown, Virginia?"

"Yes," Rodney replies and sits down next to him. "It's a small pissant town. Population used to be a couple hundred. It's on the coast. We should go there next spring. It'll be nice and quiet."

John studies him for a moment and eats another forkful.

"I can't get used to other people," Rodney continues, aware that he's babbling now. "If you want to stay, of course, we'll stay but…I keep thinking about going somewhere small and maintainable. Someplace where we can be near the ocean. Someplace where we can have a garden and the weather isn't so crazy. Someplace without so much noise."

"Yeah," John says after a while. "Sounds good. I'm already packed, actually."

Rodney smiles at him. "Great minds and all."

With a goofy grin, John kisses the side of his mouth—a habit of his that Rodney hopes John never loses—and says, "Yeah, that too."

**Author's Note:**

> I always intended to write a final scene to this. Hopefully will do it within a the next month or two.


End file.
